The saying goes, “Once you go Black, you never go back.”  In the hot 2026 Democratic primary contest for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, that old aphorism may end up standing on its head.

The seat has been a deep and historically African American one. Its current occupant, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, has been reelected to 15 terms, serving nearly 30 years.  He was preceded by Cardiss Collins, who reigned over the district for 23 years.    

With demographic change and redistricting shifts, the district has evolved from a predominantly Black domain on Chicago’s West Side to a sprawling territory that includes downtown areas such as Fulton Market, South Side wards, Chinatown and the west suburbs of Oak Park, Maywood and River Forest.

In 2023, the 7th District’s population was 39% Black, 30% white, 18% Latino/Hispanic and 9% Asian, according to estimates from the Census Reporter. 

Most Black politicians and activists, eager to protect African American political power, don’t want to go back. 

Davis’ retirement set off a scrum of hopefuls who are scrambling to capture the Democratic nomination for a rare open seat in the March 17 Democratic primary. 

Nearly all of the 13 running are African American, with plenty of prominent names in the crowd: Chicago city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, union leader Anthony Driver and community organizer Kina Collins. 

Also running are Thomas Fisher, David Ehrlich, Anabel Mendoza, Jazmin Robinson, Reed Showalter and Felix Tello.

Then there is Jason Friedman, who could change the racial equation, as the only white candidate who brings significant money and clout. 

The large number of high-profile and established Black politicians might fracture the vote.      

“The 7th Congressional District is an historically Black seat,” Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the African American speaker of the Illinois House, noted in a recent interview on Black talk radio WVON-AM 1690. “And we need to make sure the seat stays a Black seat. That is a voice at the table for Black people.”

Welch is not alone in that sentiment. Others are whispering about it on the down-low.

Friedman is the scion of real estate magnate Albert Friedman, whose company, Friedman Properties, has deep connections in Chicago’s political and business worlds.

Jason Friedman, a candidate for retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ 7th Congressional District seat, listens during a candidate forum at Malcolm X College on Nov. 3, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Jason Friedman lives in Chicago’s River North and touts that he is a fourth-generation Chicagoan. His grandfather owned a hot dog stand on the West Side, and his great-grandfather was a peddler on Maxwell Street, he says. 

When asked why he was running for Congress, Friedman took a not-so-subtle jab at Davis and other longtime Washington politicians. “For me, this is a real opportunity to give back to our community. You really see so many of our career politicians are just failing us over and over again,” he said earlier this month in an interview with the Austin Weekly News.   

Friedman ran his family business, Friedman Properties, for 20 years, according to the weekly.  

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His campaign website cites his work with prominent Democratic Party officials, including as a student volunteer for Illinois U.S. Sen. Paul Simon’s presidential campaign, in President Bill Clinton’s White House and with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Friedman has raised big money. At the end of September, Friedman was leading the fundraising sweepstakes, reporting nearly $1.1 million in the bank and raising about $1.5 million, according to his federal campaign finance report. 

Thomas Fisher, an emergency room physician, was the second-highest fundraiser, bringing in $377,899, with $23,217 available.

“I know how to put a crane in the sky. I know how to deliver and do something,” Freidman told the Austin weekly. “People can look at River North and see the vibrancy that’s there, see what real investment does to the community, and they can see how that could translate to other areas, especially in this 7th District.” 

If Friedman can galvanize and consolidate the white vote, he could prevail. It would be a tricky and very ill-advised proposition to openly appeal to voters “because I’m white,” but he won’t need to say it out loud. That will be obvious in race-conscious Chicago. 

People always decry race-based voting, and history shows it is difficult for white candidates to win Black votes in a traditionally Black district. Friedman will have to bring in boatloads more bucks to elevate his profile. We’ll know more about those prospects with the next finance report, due at the end of this month.

The Democratic nomination in that district would give the winner a virtual lock on the November election. I am not endorsing anyone in this race, but if Friedman prevails, it would be a major shock to Chicago’s political system.

Laura Washington is a political commentator and longtime Chicago journalist. Her columns appear in the Tribune each Wednesday. Write to her at LauraLauraWashington@gmail.com.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/column-chicago-danny-davis-jason-freidman-congress-primary-black-politics-washington/ 

A trip to the United Center often means a chance to see world-class athletes — the 1990s Bulls, the 2010s Chicago Blackhawks. It’s played host to some of the biggest names in music, from Bruce Springsteen and The Who to Drake and Travis Scott.

More than enough to buzz about, to our minds. Without the aid of cannabis at what is after all a family venue.

Yet the United Center announced Tuesday that it will begin rolling out THC beverage sales beginning in early February. 

This makes us a pioneer — the United Center appears to be the first major arena in the country to sell THC drinks, which are beverages infused with tetrahydrocannabinol from cannabis or hemp. This is good news for RYTHM, Inc., a Chicago-based brand that touts loving “music and weed in no particular order” and has now become the venue’s Official THC Sponsor. 

We’re not convinced it’s good news for everyone else. We understand that the addition of THC beverages, which produce their mood-altering effects more rapidly than smoking a joint or munching a pot gummy, can offer some fun for adult guests, similar to the way alcohol is often the social lubricant needed to get bodies swaying at a Beyoncé performance. 

But weed culture is a lot different from drinking culture, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. It’s familiar for sports fans in particular to crack open a beer or two to take off the edge, feeling nothing more than a little buzz. We’ve certainly seen it go the other way, and none of this is to excuse alcohol’s well-documented harms; excessive drinking remains a serious public health problem. But the point is that alcohol is a known quantity that most adults have enough experience navigating. 

Yes, some THC drinkers use these products the same way, and yet newcomers with no experience consuming this drug may now find themselves tempted to have their first can in a very large public venue. To those folks, we’d issue a warning: The United Center is no place to trip on cannabis for the first time. It’s not always a fun ride in your friend’s living room, and it could be even less fun in an arena full of over 20,000 strangers, far from home. As the Harvard Health Letter advises: “be mindful about controlling the experience until you know how a particular product affects you.”

Of course, we acknowledge the downward trend of drinking in the U.S., and understand the United Center must be on the hunt for something to supplement its former adult beverage cash cow. The share of adults consuming alcohol hit an all-time low in 2025, according to Gallup, which has tracked consumption for nearly 90 years. Just 54% of American adults now say they drink. 

“Bringing Señorita and RYTHM to the United Center reflects a simple truth: consumers want non-alcoholic options, and leading venues are responding,” Ben Kovler, RYTHM, Inc. chairman and interim CEO, said in a statement. “The United Center is one of the world’s premier venues and continues to set the standard for live entertainment with the introduction of these modern, responsible options.”

As Americans become more aware of the harms of too much alcohol, they’re looking for an alternative. And while cannabis is often promoted as a more natural option, it comes with plenty of its own downsides, as well as unknowns. We’re not sure selling THC drinks as the “responsible option” is responsible branding, especially if they are being pitched to inexperienced users.

We’re now learning of some of the ill effects associated with ongoing cannabis use. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, for example, is a condition that causes violent bouts of vomiting — and sometimes screaming out, spawning the new term, “scromiting.” CHS is linked to cannabis use. Though it remains rare, a new study by the University of Illinois Chicago found that diagnosed cases of CHS seen in hospital emergency departments nationwide rose sevenfold from 2016 to 2022. Legal recreational marijuana sales in Illinois began in 2020. Research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2022 found that heavy, long-term cannabis use was linked to cognitive decline, and Yale researchers have found that cannabis use disorder — a pattern of heavy or problematic use — is associated with an increased risk of certain psychiatric illnesses, in some users.

We were pleased to see that while these products will be sold to adults at concerts and other shows, they will not be sold during sporting events or shows specifically for kids. But there sure are kids at Bulls games.

We’ll see how this United Center decision plays out. Helpfully, maybe, Rush University Medical Center is just a mile away.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/thc-addiction-alcohol-united-center/ 

In the colorfully vibrant world of taverns, saloons, bars, dives, night clubs or whatever it is you call those places where people gather to get drunk, watch TV, play pool, fall in love, talk to strangers, listen to music or otherwise seek shelter from life’s storms, the Green Mill has always held a special place.

Part of that no doubt is due to its longevity, for it has served as an Uptown oasis since opening in 1907 as Pop Morse’s Roadhouse and three years later becoming Green Mill Gardens, thus making it now the oldest nightclub in the city operating under the same name.

But an even greater reason is that, for the last 25 years, it has been, as my former colleague, critic Howard Reich wrote, “an unstoppable force for jazz in Chicago, giving unknowns a chance to try out their stuff and established South Side masters … a North Side beachhead.”

Still, it is possible, likely I suppose, that most of you reading this have never walked through the door at 4802 N. Broadway, and so it gives me pleasure to invite you inside via a new movie, “The Green Mill: A Real Chicago Joint,” that will be having its premiere at 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Davis Theater (4614 N. Lincoln Ave.).

The hourlong film is directed and produced by Paul Carr, a filmmaker and writer of some note but more personally attached here since he worked as a Green Mill bartender.

A native of the Midwest, Carr hitchhiked around the country before landing in Chicago and attending Columbia College, determined to become a writer. He fell in love with the city and worked various jobs (including at the Mill as a bartender from 1986 to 1995). His first film grew from a stage play, “Busted City,” produced in both 2008 and 2012 by Prop Thtr. The movie version, which he describes intriguingly as “about a bookie ring taking bets on the ’83 mayoral election,” was released in 2015. Then came such films as “Casual Criminals” and “Hitchhiking to Mars.”

The Green Mill on June 28, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

He founded and runs Busted City Productions, and to make this latest film, he first suggested it to Green Mill owner Dave Jemilo, who reacted enthusiastically. They quickly gathered four colleagues, sat them at tables in the club and let the memories flow. And that’s mostly what we see and hear from Jemilo, Carr, jazz musician Brad Goode, bartender and managers Jason Cole and Laura Castro (both from 1994 to now), and former singer and server Katherine Terrell.

The film does not devote much time to the place’s long history, giving viewers just a bit about the “secret” tunnels underneath and mere mention of such long-gone patrons as Charlie Chaplin and that gangster named Capone. “I wanted to capture what the Mill is now and has been in recent years,” says Carr. “It does take us back but not as far back as some of those stories and legends.”

It is interesting to hear Jemilo, a real Chicago treasure, talk of first seeing the place as a kid riding in his father’s taxi cab and of the rougher-than-rough neighborhood and shabby state of the club when he bought it in 1986.

He and the others, who spent more than five hours talking in front of cameraman and editor Nick Schultz, capture some of the particulars of bar’s early Jemilo days, describing the place as “like an old prize fighter who never got knocked down.”

Liberally peppered with profanity and laughter, the conversations introduce us to such notable patrons as Johnny Depp, and over-served Sarah Vaughan, Vince Vaughn, whose car was towed from a lot across the street, Robert Plant and his odd glasses; and Studs Terkel, a neighbor who lived but blocks away, often there in the company of his dear friend, jazz man Bud Freeman.

You’ll hear tales of some of the regulars, including one fellow fond of dumping salt in his drinks; a couple of “ghost stories” and some loving praise for saxophonist Von Freeman’s ability to “transport listeners.”

None of this chatter is regret-filled but rather celebratory, and hearing the names of some performers puts in one’s mind the names of others. Even if we don’t see or hear much from them, it’s impossible not to think of how the Green Mill was the launching pad for Marc Smith’s world-famous poetry slams, and nurtured the careers of Patricia Barber, Kurt Elling, Howard Levy and Frank Catalano.

Filmmaker Paul Carr, second from left, and Green Mill owner Dave Jemilo, left, with staff members Jason Cole and Nicole Berg, all of whom appear in Carr’s new film about the Green Mill in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, Jan. 20, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Carr’s writing and delivery of the narration is smooth and poetic. He creates a suitably moody feel for the film, and exterior footage captures Uptown. There are plenty of good stories and a lengthy revelation near the end when the gang takes credit (justified it would seem) for the dubious honor of starting the city-wide popularity of the vile liqueur Malört.

So, the door at the Mill is there for the opening, seven days a week, and if you need more incentive before heading there, I’ll direct you to my Tribune colleague and friend Robert Loerzel. There is no one who knows more about the Green Mill. His “The Coolest Spot in Chicago” is a marvel.

Chicago’s most historic taverns: Our list

It is deeply researched and liberally illustrated, fine reading. Near its end he writes, “If the Green Mill isn’t the coolest spot in Chicago today, then it’s certainly a strong candidate for that distinction. It’s also one of the best places anywhere to see live jazz. I consider myself lucky to live just a few blocks away. No matter how many times I’ve stepped through that door, I still marvel at the sensation that I’m entering a nightclub from a bygone area.”

This movie is very of the moment, which was Carr’s intention. In addition to the upcoming Davis screening it is making the film festival route as he explores other ways to get wider distribution. Asked about some recent news that the building that houses the Green Mill and some adjacent properties have been put up for sale by Jemilo, Carr says, “I’ve heard. But I can’t ever see Dave giving up the Mill.”

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/column-inside-the-green-mill-the-malort-and-stories-flow-in-a-new-movie/ 

On Saturday, federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse and U.S. citizen, as he helped another protester whom agents had pushed to the ground. Trump administration officials, trotting out the odious narrative tropes used to justify lethal extrajudicial killings, reflexively defended the agents’ actions, calling Pretti a “would-be assassin” and “domestic terrorist” who was “brandishing” a weapon and had “injected himself into a law enforcement operation” to do “maximum damage and massacre” to “patriots.”

The most credible evidence revealed that narrative to be a lie. Pretti, who had a gun in his waistband, was holding his phone when he was shot, at least 10 times, after agents tackled him and took the gun.

Pretti had no criminal record and was a lawful gun owner in a state that allows open and concealed carry. The next day, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, incanting another common feature of the narrative — hypocrisy — blamed Pretti, claiming not to “know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign.” Recall that members of this administration, including President Donald Trump, praised armed insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, armed white nationalists at the Unite the Right rally, militia men who breached the Michigan Capitol and Kyle Rittenhouse, who drove 20 miles to a Black Lives Matter demonstration with an assault-style rifle and killed two people. Those same people now blame Pretti for his own demise. 

Pretti had every right to carry his gun. Our constitutional framework protects the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment and the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government under the First Amendment. I believe neither amendment bestows absolute rights on the individual. When these rights converge — when protesters carry weapons during demonstrations — they create a complex legal and practical landscape, a debate renewed by Pretti’s killing.

While I recognize the right to bear arms, I’m a staunch gun control advocate. I believe military-style weapons, designed for warfare, not hunting, have no place in civilian hands. The Second Amendment doesn’t grant unrestricted access to weapons. Concealed carry laws don’t enhance public safety; they foster fear and suspicion. 

I am particularly outraged when armed civilians appear at demonstrations such as Black Lives Matter protests, wielding weapons to intimidate peaceful protesters lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. Rittenhouse was one of many troubling examples of armed civilians inserting themselves into civil rights demonstrations to create dangerous confrontations that undermine democratic expression. These civilians contrast starkly with Pretti, who never displayed his weapon. Period.

The Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

For much of American history, the scope of this right remained contested. The Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller marked a watershed moment establishing that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms unconnected to militia service, particularly for self-defense in the home. This interpretation was extended to state and local governments through the court’s 2010 McDonald v. Chicago decision, cementing the individual rights framework nationwide.

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The First Amendment provides robust protection for political expression, stating that Congress shall make no law abridging “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This protection has enabled countless protests, marches and demonstrations throughout American history, serving as a vital mechanism for political participation and social change.

The question of whether protesters may carry weapons during demonstrations sits at the confluence of these constitutional guarantees. The answer is neither simple nor uniform across jurisdictions. Generally speaking, the legal right to carry firearms in public spaces doesn’t automatically disappear when choosing to exercise First Amendment rights. However, this general principle faces significant limitations. States and localities retain substantial regulatory authority over both gun possession and public assemblies. Time, place and manner restrictions on speech have long been recognized as constitutional, provided they are content-neutral and narrowly tailored to serve significant governmental interests and they leave open ample alternative channels for communication. Similarly, gun regulations must satisfy scrutiny appropriate to Second Amendment concerns, though the precise level of scrutiny remains debated in courts.

In open carry states, protesters can often legally bring visible firearms to demonstrations, just as they can carry them on public streets. Yet, many jurisdictions, including Minnesota, prohibit firearms at specific locations regardless of whether a protest is occurring; government buildings, schools, polling places and courthouses commonly fall under such restrictions. Minnesota, unlike states such as Oregon and California, doesn’t ban firearms at protests, demonstrations or public assemblies. 

The practical concerns surrounding armed protests are substantial. Law enforcement officials often express anxiety about distinguishing peaceful armed protesters from potential threats, particularly in tense situations in which emotions run high. The presence of weapons can escalate confrontations, transform peaceful demonstrations into volatile situations and potentially chill the speech of others who feel intimidated. Critics argue that bringing weapons to protests transforms political expression into implicit threats, undermining the democratic discourse the First Amendment aims to protect.

Proponents of carrying arms at protests offer different perspectives. They argue that self-defense rights don’t evaporate during political activity, that visible firearms can deter both criminal activity and government overreach, and that exercising multiple constitutional rights simultaneously represents the fullest expression of American liberty. Some point to historical examples of armed self-defense during civil rights struggles, arguing that vulnerable communities have particular reasons to ensure their protection during demonstrations.

Courts have generally upheld reasonable restrictions on firearms at protests when those restrictions serve compelling safety interests and don’t amount to blanket prohibitions on Second Amendment rights. The key legal question often centers on whether restrictions are applied evenhandedly or target particular viewpoints — a restriction barring all firearms from a protest area raises fewer constitutional concerns than one selectively enforced based on protesters’ political messages.

As we continue to grapple with gun rights, public safety and political expression in the wake of Pretti’s horrific killing, the intersection of First and Second Amendment protections at protests isn’t just contentious — it can be lethal.

The challenge lies in ensuring that constitutional liberties don’t become justifications for extrajudicial murder and that robust political discourse essential to democracy can occur without citizens paying with their lives.

Bryan Adamson is the David L. and Ann Brennan professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He teaches about civil rights, constitutional law, and protest, policing and the First Amendment. He is the author of “‘Thugs,’ ‘Crooks,’ and ‘Rebellious Negroes’: Racist and Racialized Distortions in Media Coverage of Michael Brown and the Ferguson Demonstrations” in the Harvard Journal on Racial & Ethnic Justice.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/opinion-alex-pretti-border-patrol-ice-concealed-carry-second-amendment-free-assembly/ 

Rahm Emanuel has made a habit of offering audacious proposals to address what he considers to be the weaknesses contributing to the Democratic Party’s flagging brand.

The former ambassador to Japan and mayor of Chicago said recently that there ought to be a mandatory retirement age of 75 for people in all three branches of the federal government. That would include Cabinet officers, he said, as well as Supreme Court justices and other judges. And, of course, the president of the United States.

Emanuel, who is considering a run for the highest office in the land, said he understood that as a 66-year-old he could not run for a second term if he were elected president in 2028. Fine by him, he said. “You can’t say ‘here’s what I want to do to change Washington’ … but I get an exemption.”

Our former mayor gets kudos for applying his tough medicine to himself; although we cannot know what a theoretical President Emanuel would feel (or do) as a second term beckoned. Still, Emanuel touched a nerve and found some supporters among the higher ranks of the party apparatus, including former Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Small wonder. In recent times, we’ve seen more than a few political leaders, many of them Democrats but surely not all, leave the scene well after they should have made their exit. One case in point, her years of great service notwithstanding, would be California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in office at age 90.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg declined President Obama’s suggestion that she retire while he was in office to ensure a successor carry on with a similar judicial philosophy to hers. A cancer survivor for more than two decades, Ginsburg succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2020, less than two months before President Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection, allowing Trump to nominate Amy Coney Barrett and cementing a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Barrett is turning just 54 today.

And, of course, President Joe Biden was pressured by his own party to give up his campaign four months before the election in large part due to widespread concerns about age-related performance issues. To put that mildly.

So we understand Emanuel’s argument and it has its merits. But here’s the deal, as Biden liked to say.

Without any mandatory retirement requirements, the senior-citizen Democrats many in the party have cited as examples of the gerontocracy issue are leaving of their own volition. The latest and clearest example is Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C., delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives for 35 years, who after months of insisting she was running again said she won’t stand for reelection after all. The 88-year-old has slowed down noticeably and has dramatically cut back her public appearances. A recent police report on an alleged fraud against Norton said she showed “early stages of dementia.”

Other notable congressional veterans have made the same decision (with less hemming and hawing). They include former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her longtime No. 2 in the House leadership, Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

The Illinois delegation is at the cutting edge of this trend. Sen. Dick Durbin, No. 2 in the Democratic leadership in the Senate, last year cleared the way for a new generation after five terms. U.S. Reps. Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia all opted to retire following their current terms after long careers in the House.

As we’ve written before, it’s hard in any walk of life to know when to bow out, especially when one has achieved a significant measure of success. That seems particularly true in politics, where experience counts and elected officials get the affirmation of being chosen by tens of thousands (or more) of their constituents again and again to take their roles.

We think it will be invigorating to see fresh faces representing Illinois in Washington, and we’re grateful to the above names for leaving gracefully and on terms in which they can be thanked for their service and given the send-offs they deserve.

We’re heartened, too, that none of these positive developments required the blunt instrument of a mandatory retirement age. Age in and of itself has little to do with ability to perform a demanding job. There are 75-year-olds whose conditions are such that they shouldn’t be in such roles, and there are 85-year-olds who are energetic, healthy and fully capable. As the nation’s demographics continue to get grayer, we are going to have to depend on more seniors to work, whether we like it or not, simply to maintain productivity.

For all their accomplishments and in Pelosi’s case a legendary career, the former speaker along with Hoyer, Durbin and many others got the message, delivered with thanks, that it was time to go without the need for deadlines not chosen by voters.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/editorial-age-limit-washington-eleanor-holmes-norton-nancy-pelosi-rahm-emanuel/ 

I have been a registered nurse for over 30 years, many of those spent in the intensive care unit. Although I did not know Alex Pretti personally, there is a deep connection among nursing colleagues. Nurses understand nurses, especially those of us who care for our veterans.

I can assure the layperson that the need to restrain a person does not necessitate inflicting harm, let alone deadly force. Patients withdrawing from alcohol or drugs may become combative, as can patients who are confused or hurt. There have been instances when I’ve had to request help from other nurses, doctors and even security to restrain these patients. At times, sedatives were needed to relax them. I have seen nurses pushed, grabbed, bitten and even punched, but never in over 30 years of nursing have I seen a caregiver injure a patient under these circumstances.

As nurses, it is part of our ethics to do no harm. We are caregivers. It becomes a reflex to come to the aid of those in need. Pretti was a nurse who responded to a woman in need. When he did, he was pepper-sprayed, beaten to the ground by multiple assailants and, finally, shot several times. Not one video shows Pretti fighting or resisting or brandishing his legally registered gun.

Had federal agents cared about human life or been trained properly, they could have made non-deadly choices to mitigate the situation.

If, as a 5-foot-tall nurse, I can practice ways to restrain a person double my size, there is no excuse for these agents to use deadly force. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol are not making America great again.

We are all losing right now. The killing of Pretti is a loss of a human being who mattered and a loss to humanity as a whole.

— Mercirosa de Leon, Arlington Heights

A moment when we see

You know that split second that lives forever? Where the guy on the left is pulling the trigger and the guy on the right is forever suspended between this world and the next? Did you ever think someone would use a famous black-and white image as a metaphor to ponder whether the horror of 1968 Saigon is about to find its expression, its echo, in 2026 America?

At the time, the guy on the left in that photo, South Vietnamese national police commander Nguyen Ngoc Loan, was a “good” guy, an ally. The guy on the right, photojournalist Eddie Adams, not so much. Yet, this iconic photo is what finally got many Americans to come to their senses and question the morality of what we were engaged in half a world away in Vietnam. As it turned out, there was a limit for how much insanity and how many lies from our government the American people were willing to put up with.

Today, I am speaking especially to my friends, my family members and my neighbors, those of you who out of fantastic devotion will themselves to un-see and believe whatever the current administration tells them to believe. I’m counting on you now because, though I can still type, take pictures and blow whistles, my hands are tied.

Do we need another grisly moment forever embedded in our collective conscious to finally see?

— Jim Koppensteiner, Niles

Acting like street gangs

The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. This has been the mantra, the gospel of many. Alex Pretti, evidently a good guy and trusting federal officers to behave professionally, died at the hands of a mob of bad guys sporting official good guy attire.

We have seen our federal government acting like street gangs. Ten shots fired at a man on the ground? Three more years of this?

— Bob Quitter, Plainfield

Democracy in action

Here is a huge shout-out to the people of Minneapolis, especially to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. What courage they have shown in the face of such a brutal assault on them, their city and our country! They have stood firm and strong in the most freezing weather to say that they will not tolerate losing democracy in America. They have shown all of us democracy in action, and I thank them.

I have a new glimmer of hope for us to retain our image of that shining beacon of light to a world in grave need of seeing that democracy is a viable choice to govern.

— Mary Herrick, Gilberts

Alex Pretti’s judgment

I read the articles in the paper about the man who was shot and killed in Minneapolis. According to one article, Alex Pretti’s father told him to not engage or do something stupid. Looks like he didn’t listen.

Carrying a loaded gun with spare ammunition to a highly charged environment and then engaging with a federal law enforcement officer is about as stupid as it can get.

— Loren Monsess, Waterman

Empathy and strength

Alex Pretti was killed protecting a woman shoved to the ground by gun-wielding men; Pretti held hands with hospitalized veterans, dedicating his life to their caretaking; Pretti chose to peacefully protest, courageously seeking justice after the killing of Renee Good.

Our young boys need to see Pretti lionized to offset the destructive cultural message that, to be a man, empathy and strength are incompatible.

— Scott Shallenbarger, Highland Park

Trust requires honesty

Whether it’s retelling the events of Jan. 6, blaming victims for their horrific deaths in Minneapolis or denying the causes and consequences of our changing climate, trust in our nation’s leaders has evaporated. Trust requires honesty and compassion, not spin and falsehoods.

At the end of the service this past Sunday, our church decided to sing four verses of the hymn “We Shall Overcome.” It was emotional, and many of us wept at what’s happening to America.

— Thomas Rausch, Glen Ellyn

What Americans can do

U.S. borders under President Joe Biden are the root cause of the current situation in Minnesota, creating a ripple effect that will last for decades. Those who stood idly by — both politicians and citizens — must take responsibility and stop hindering the solution.

Now, the best thing Americans can do is support federal agents as they perform their duties, ensuring they can do their jobs and return home safely to their families.

— Roberto L. Garcia, Chicago

Carnage has got to stop

Regarding the letter “Media denigration of ICE” (Jan. 26), the letter writer states that the real fault of the immigration mess we are in lies with Joe Biden and others whose actions encouraged the massive volume of illegal entries into the U.S. May I remind the writer that after many years of both parties kicking the immigration can down the road, the Democrats and Republicans of Congress were working on a reform bill in 2024. Then Donald Trump, who was running for office at that time, strong-armed the Republicans to not vote on any reform legislation because he wanted the broken immigration system to be a signature piece of his campaign.

No one wants criminal immigrants who are in our country illegally. Other administrations in the past were able to remove lawbreakers in a peaceful manner. We did not see chaos in the streets.

No one wants men and women, including U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, dragged out of their homes without a warrant after their doors have been rammed in, beaten in the streets or killed by poorly trained federal agents. These are Gestapo tactics.

The carnage we are witnessing is sickening and has got to stop. The whole world is watching.

— Eileen Smith, Minooka

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/letters-012826-alex-pretti/ 

Valentine’s Day can be stressful for singles who feel like they’re missing out and romantics wanting to plan the perfect celebration. Luckily, Chicago bars and restaurants are offering a huge variety of ways so you can enjoy the holiday, regardless of your relationship status or budget.

Options range from decadent tasting menus to Galentine’s Day parties to a hands-on cocktail class. With Feb. 14 falling on Saturday, many spots are offering specials all weekend long, so you can find something to fit your schedule or spread the love over multiple days. Just don’t wait too long to make a reservation or you could be in for some heartbreak.

All events take place on Feb. 14 unless otherwise stated.

The Loop and Near North Side

The Albert

The restaurant within the Hotel EMC2 offers a three-course dinner ($65 or $75 with a glass of prosecco) including braised garlic mussels, lobster ravioli with saffron cream and sticky butter rum cake. 5-9 p.m. Feb. 13-15. 228 E. Ontario St., 312-471-3883, thealbertchicago.com/specialevents

The Bamboo Room

The bar tucked within Three Dots and a Dash hosts a Galentine’s Day party ($100) including four cocktails and small bites. 4-10 p.m. Feb. 11. 435 N. Clark St., 312-610-4220, threedotschicago.com/events

Bandol

The French restaurant offers specials Feb. 13-14 including foie gras terrine, duck confit salad, Parisian gnocchi and coq au vin. 100 W. Monroe St., 312-877-5713, bandolrestaurant.com

Bistronomic

Imagine you’re celebrating in Paris with a special three-course menu ($99 or $120 with a glass of Champagne) that includes smoked Scottish salmon with salmon caviar, beef tenderloin with braised short ribs and cheesecake with bittersweet ganache chocolate bars. 840 N. Wabash Ave., 312-944-8400, bistronomic.net/valentines-daylamour-toujours

BLVD Steakhouse

A special three-course menu ($125) includes French onion soup, chestnut mushroom risotto and snickerdoodle cheesecake. 817 W. Lake St., 312-526-3116, blvdchicago.com

Brass Tack

The restaurant within the Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers a three-course ($135) or four-course ($165) dinner including a glass of Moët & Chandon, blackberry-braised beef short ribs, Colorado rack of lamb and chocolate mousse. 11 E. Walton St., 312-646-1402, brasstackchicago.com

Casa Chi

The spot within the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile offers a four-course menu ($140) featuring a welcome cocktail, sushi, skirt steak cooked on hot stones and yuzu cheesecake. 505 N. Michigan Ave., 312-944-4100, casachichicago.com

The Dearborn

The Loop restaurant offers specials throughout the weekend including a half dozen oysters ($24), artichoke hearts ($19), duck breast with duck fat fries ($40) and pavlova with blood orange sorbet ($13). 145 N. Dearborn St., 312-384-1242, thedearborntavern.com

Eataly

Visit stations serving Italian food from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 13 at a Valentine’s Day tasting for $45 or $60 with two glasses of wine. You can also craft a salumi and cheese board at a hands-on Valentine’s Day class from noon to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 14 for $100 per couple. 43 E. Ohio St., 312-521-8700, eataly.com

Grill on 21

Treat your sweetheart with specials including firecracker shrimp ($26), lobster thermidor ($75) and beignets with salted caramel gelato ($16). 208 S. LaSalle St., 312-634-0000 ext. 3, grillon21.com/happenings/valentines-dinner

Industry Ales Brewpub

Co-founder Dan Rook leads a hands-on cocktail class where you’ll learn how to make three drinks. The lesson is $50 or $90 per couple and includes light bites, a 10-ounce house beer, cocktail samplings and a prize for the person who makes the best drink. 7 p.m. 230 S. Wabash Ave., industryales.com

I|O Godfrey Roofscape Chicago

Gather your friends for a Galentine’s brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 15 featuring heart-shaped French toast, red velvet cinnamon rolls, tableside s’mores and cocktail flights. 127 W. Huron St., 312-374-1830, exploretock.com/iogodfrey

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Valentine’s Day dinner from Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. (Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab)

A Valentine’s Day dinner for two ($250) available Feb. 12-15 includes Florida stone crab claws, crab bisque, filet mignon, creamed spinach and Key lime pie. 60 E. Grand Ave., 312-379-5637, joes.net/chicago/events/valentines-day

La Bella Trattoria

Celebrate with specials offered Feb. 13-14 including pancetta-wrapped dates, truffle arancini, lobster ravioli and vodka rigatoni. 120 W. Monroe St., 312-312-2142, labellachicago.com/happenings

Labriola

Make your own heart-shaped pizzas during a hands-on class ($65) from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 12 that includes spritzes, wine, appetizers and tiramisu. 535 N. Michigan Ave., 312-955-3100, labriolacafe.com/heartshpaedpizzamaking

Lirica

The Sable Hotel restaurant offers a four-course menu ($95) featuring pear and prosciutto salad, beef Wellington and heart-shaped wild berry shortcake. 4-10 p.m. Feb. 13-14 and 4-9 p.m. Feb. 16. 900 E. Grand Ave., 872-710-5750, liricarestaurant.com

LondonHouse Chicago

A Valentine’s Day tea ($100 or $50 for kids) offered in the Bridges Lobby Bar Feb. 9-15 includes heart-shaped macarons, red velvet scones, raspberry crunch doughnuts and chocolate lava tarts. 85 E. Wacker Drive, 312-357-1200, londonhousechicago.com

Miru

Enjoy the views from The St. Regis Chicago while dining on a four-course meal ($155) featuring shrimp tempura maki, red snapper with miso bouillabaisse and wild mushroom sizzling rice. 4-10 p.m. 401 E. Wacker Drive, 312-725-7811, mirurestaurant.com

Olio e Più

The River North trattoria offers specials Feb. 13-15 including beef tartare with house-made giardiniera ($35), burrata stracciatella with basil pesto ($38) and beef filet with gorgonzola sauce ($49). 445 N. Dearborn St., 312-363-3335, olioepiu.com

Osteria Via Stato

A four-course menu ($80) from chef David DiGregorio includes marinated beet salad, shrimp risotto and tiramisu. 4:30-9:30 p.m. 620 N. State St., 312-642-8450, osteriaviastato.com

Pizzeria Portofino

A heart-shaped pizza from Pizzeria Portofino. (Lindsay Eberly x Eberly Film Lab)

Any pizza can be made heart-shaped Feb. 13-16, and Feb. 13-15, you can also surprise your date with a single rose ($8) or a dozen ($95). Celebrate Galentine’s Day from 6-8:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at a cocktail class including a three-course menu ($85). 317 N. Clark St., 312-900-9018, pizzeriaportofino.com/events

Raised, An Urban Rooftop Bar

A Love on the Rocks bash ($103) includes a welcome Champagne Jell-O shot, themed cocktails, draft beer and wine, a DJ spinning disco and a selfie booth. 7-10 p.m. 1 W. Wacker Drive, 312-795-3444, exploretock.com/raisedanurbanrooftopbar

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago

Valentine’s Day afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. (The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago)

A Valentine’s Day afternoon tea ($90) includes a flute of rosé prosecco, tea sandwiches, quiche, scones and seasonal pastries. 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 6-8 and 13-15. 160 E. Pearson St., 312-573-5160, exploretock.com/the-ritzcarlton-chicago

Sifr

A five-course Middle Eastern tasting menu ($95) includes roasted red pepper hummus, chicken sambousek and grilled lamb loin. 5-9:45 p.m. 660 N. Orleans St., 464-204-8711, opentable.com/r/sifr-chicago

Toro

Chef Richard Sandoval’s restaurant offers a four-course dinner ($165 plus $85 for wine pairings) that includes tuna tartare tostada, Chilean sea bass and a dark chocolate tart with rose petal ganache. 200 N. Columbus Drive, 312-565-6644, torochicago.com/valentinesday

Travelle

A Galentine’s Day Happy Meal offered all month includes Caesar salad, a side of truffle fries, a Diet Coke, a dirty martini and macarons for $46. 330 N. Wabash Ave., 312-923-7705, travellechicago.com

Tre Dita

A Buon San Valentino dinner ($175) features chef Evan Funke’s favorite dishes, including antipasti, pastas, signature entrees and dessert. The meal begins with a welcome toast and you’ll get a hazelnut chocolate to take home. 4-10:30 p.m. 401 E. Wacker Drive, 312-725-1724, treditarestaurant.com

UMMO

An improv poet will be writing personalized stanzas and all guests will be welcomed with a rose Valentine’s Day weekend. Dine on specials including fried burrata with strawberry and rose mostarda, rose-blushed lobster agnolotti with Champagne butter and parmesan-crusted lamb chops. 22 W. Hubbard St., 312-757-7823, ummochicago.com

North Side & Northwest Side

Alma

Celebrate all month long in one of the see-through heated globes ($50-$75) on the bar’s terrace, where you can sip mulled wine and make s’mores with ruby chocolate bars and Champagne marshmallows. The globe is equipped with a record player for romantic tunes, board games, plush blankets and a Polaroid camera. Alma also hosts My Funny Valentine afternoon tea throughout the month featuring chocolate croissants, chocolate-covered strawberries, heart-shaped Rice Krispies treats and a DIY dried floral bouquet station for $45 or $30 for kids ages 4-12. 3630 N. Clark St., 773-302-2326, opentable.com/r/alma-hotel-zachary-chicago-a-tribute-portfolio-hotel-chicago

Bar Roma

Chef Fred Ramos offers specials Feb. 13-15 including hearts of palm salad with shrimp ($18), beef tenderloin medallions with sauteed jumbo shrimp scampi ($44) and red velvet cake with dark chocolate ice cream ($12). 5101 N. Clark St., 773-942-7572, barromachicago.com

CheSa’s Bistro & Bar

CheSa’s Valentine’s Day specials include filet mignon with grilled prawns. (CheSa’s Bistro & Bar)

Live jazz music and roses set the mood for a three-course gluten-free dinner ($75) including wine, lobster bisque, filet mignon with grilled prawns and vanilla bean creme brulee. 5-9 p.m. Feb. 13-15. 3235 W. Addison St., 773-754-8523, chesasbistro.com

Dēliz Italian Steakhouse

A Galentine’s Day dinner ($65) offered Feb. 9-12 includes bubbles, an espresso martini, truffle fries, spicy rigatoni, a caviar bite and dessert. 1840 W. North Ave., 773-477-0000, delizitalian.com

Eli’s Cheesecake Cafe and Bakery

Decorate a slice of plain or chocolate chip cheesecake with candy and sauces ($2.95), or pick up a heart-shaped raspberry cheesecake for two ($12) or a box of chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake bites ($50). 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive, 773-205-3800, elicheesecake.com 

La Licor Panamericana

A three-course dinner ($85 per couple) includes duck confit with pupusas, Patagonian lamb and a decadent chocolate dessert. 2521 N. California Ave., 872-243-1059, lalicor.com

Lark

A Taylor Swift Lover’s Brunch drag show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 14-15 includes a sweet starter, a choice of entree, a breakfast shot and 90 minutes of drinks for $76. The Lakeview spot offers a $70 three-course dinner for two with select cocktails Feb. 13-15. 3441 N. Halsted St., 773-799-8968, larkchicago.com/special-events

Le Sud

The Roscoe Village restaurant offers its $45 three-course Chicago Restaurant Week menu Feb. 13-15 along with sauteed jumbo sea scallops ($48). 2301 W. Roscoe St., 773-857-1985, lesudchicago.com

Little Goat Diner

Stephanie Izard’s restaurant hosts a family-friendly Valentine’s Day party featuring food and bubbly specials, crafts, temporary tattoos, a free sparkling cider toast and a keepsake photo. 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. 3325 N. Southport Ave., opentable.com/r/little-goat-southport-chicago

Lottie’s Pub

Casamigos offers samplings during a happy hour from 2-6 p.m. featuring $18 heart-shaped pizzas, $30 Lucky One Lemonade buckets, $7 Casamigos blanco, $8 Casamigos reposado and $9 Casamigos blanco jalapeño. 1925 W. Cortland St., 773-489-0738, lottiespub.com

Manchamanteles

A five-course menu ($90) inspired by “Like Water for Chocolate” offered Feb. 13-15 includes oxtail soup, slow-roasted capon covered in a rose-petal sauce and tres leches cake. 2009 N Western Ave., 773-799-8148, manchamantelesrestaurant.com

Park & Field

Bring your pooch for a party ($5) featuring a kissing booth photo station with props, giveaways, drink specials and a card-making station. 6 p.m. Feb. 13. 3509 W. Fullerton Ave., 773-360-7373, parkandfieldchicago.com/social-events

Sfera Sicilian Street Food

A special dinner for two ($70) available for pickup or delivery includes arancini, caponata with whipped feta, baked pasta and pistachio cake with dark chocolate ganache. 5759 N. Broadway, 773-739-9128, exploretock.com/sferachicago

Summer House Santa Monica

Specials offered Feb. 12-18 include hearts of palm salad with avocado and prawns, truffle lobster risotto and Valentine’s Day-themed cookies. 1954 N. Halsted St., 773-634-4100, summerhouserestaurants.com

West Side & Near West Side

Aba

Specials offered Feb. 12-15 include caviar with house labneh, slow-roasted beef tenderloin with wild black trumpet mushrooms, and rosé Champagne available by the glass or bottle. 302 N. Green St., 773-645-1400, abarestaurants.com

Beatrix

Shop for candles and friendship bracelets during a Galentine’s Day event from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 that includes a glass of prosecco, an espresso martini and snacks for $39. The restaurant offers specials Feb. 12-15 including grilled fillet medallions, spinach and artichoke dip and raspberry cheesecake. 834 W. Fulton Market, 312-733-0370, beatrixrestaurants.com

Cabra

Take in the views from The Hoxton Hotel rooftop while sharing a five-course Peruvian-inspired dinner ($95). A glass of bubbles is included. Come at 11 a.m. or 1:45 p.m. for a family-style Galentine’s Day drag brunch ($55) that includes a welcome toast, and you can add on bottomless mimosas for $30. 200 N. Green St., 312-761-1717, opentable.com/r/cabra-chicago

The Dandy Crown

The West Town bar’s heated patio becomes the Tunnel of Love through Feb. 28, serving themed cocktails like Agave You My Heart (tequila with mulled wine) and Pretty in Pink (vodka, pink curacao, pink lemonade and pink peppercorn). 694 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312-846-6420, thedandycrown.com

Dove’s Luncheonette

The Wicker Park diner offers a five-course dinner ($96) Feb. 13-14 including scallop ceviche, strip loin with charred leeks and chocolate flan. 1545 N. Damen Ave., 773-645-4060, doveschicago.com/upcoming-events

Duck Duck Goat

Share dim sum, classic dishes and new offerings from Stephanie Izard’s Chinese American-inspired menu ($95). 857 W. Fulton Market, 312-902-3825, opentable.com/r/duck-duck-goat-chicago

Girl & The Goat

A special prix fixe menu ($110) features a mix of Stephanie Izard’s classic dishes as well as new bites. 809 W. Randolph St., 312-492-6262, opentable.com/r/girl-and-the-goat-chicago

La Serre

The Mediterranean restaurant offers a four-course tasting menu ($129) including tuna crudo, zucchini fritters, truffle gnocchi and a dark chocolate tart. Add grilled green beans or whipped potatoes for $15 and beverage pairings for $49. 307 N. Green St., dinelaserre.com/event/valentinesday

Lyra

Take a trip to Greece with a four-course tasting menu ($129) including charred octopus, souvlaki, Wagyu beef souvlaki and orange syrup cake. Add wine pairings for $49 or sides including charred cauliflower for $15. 5-11 p.m. 905 W. Fulton Market, 312-660-7722, lyrarestaurant.com/event/valentines-day

South Side & Near South Side

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

The South Loop steakhouse offers a three-course dinner ($95) with options including lobster bisque, an 8-ounce filet mignon and Key lime pie. Add on half a dozen oysters for $24 or lobster creamed corn for $22. 1401 S. Michigan Ave., 312-786-1401, chicagofirehouse.com

The Duck Inn

Groove to ‘90s R&B during a three-course dinner ($114) featuring red shrimp ceviche, lavender honey-glazed duck breast and chocolate creme caramel. 2701 S. Eleanor St., 312-724-8811, theduckinnchicago.com

Mesler Kitchen, Bar & Lounge

Make a personalized bouquet of roses and snack on chocolate truffles during a class that includes two glasses of Veuve Clicquot Rosé ($75) or nonalcoholic rosé ($50). 12:30-2 p.m. 1401 E. 53rd St., 773-289-1005, meslerchicago.com/events/rose-and-roses

Strugglebeard Bakery

Bakery founder Quinton McNair will teach you how to bake and decorate mini bundt cakes during a party ($100) from 5-8 p.m. including karaoke, charcuterie boards and two cocktails. You can also pick up a Valentine’s Day gift box ($60) including a card, a candle, chocolate-covered pretzel rods and a red velvet cookie. 5221 S. Harper Court, 773-675-5994, strugglebeardbakery.com

Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery

Make your own wine and compete in a grape-stomping contest as part of a dinner and wine tasting ($159-$175 plus $85-$215 for the wine supplies). 6-10 p.m. 9030 S. Hermitage Ave., 773-840-4642, wildblossommeadery.com

Suburban and multiple locations

Aboyer

A three-course dinner ($95) includes potato truffle soup with aged parmesan croutons, Dover sole and lobster in scallop mousse and chocolate souffle with raspberry creme anglaise. 4-8:45 p.m. 64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, 847-441-3100, opentable.com/r/aboyer-winnetka

Antico Posto

Specials offered Feb. 9-18 include spicy lobster and crab risotto, potato leek soup and Luxardo cherry gelato. 118 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, 630-586-9200, antico-posto.com/events

Di Pescara

A three-course dinner ($50) includes lobster bisque, braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and red velvet tiramisu. 2124 Northbrook Court, Northbrook, 847-498-4321, di-pescara.com

The Hampton Social

A Galentine’s Day experience offered Feb. 9-13 includes two hours of bottomless rosé, unlimited oysters, parmesan truffle fries and Wagyu smashburger tacos for $49. Multiple locations, thehamptonsocial.com

Hey Nonny

Live acoustic guitar music sets the mood for a three-course ($75) dinner Feb. 13-14 including seared sea scallops, duck confit à l’orange and chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake. 10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights, 224-202-0750, heynonny.com

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille

Valentine’s Day specials at Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille. (Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille)

Share a candlelit meal at a table decorated with rose petals Feb. 13-14 that includes Caesar salad, filet mignon with lobster tails, whipped potatoes and chocolate-dipped strawberries for $219 per couple. The restaurant also offers a three-course menu to dine in or pick up ($79). Multiple locations, perryssteakhouse.com/specials/valentines-day

Saranello’s

The restaurant offers dinner specials Feb. 14, including a 14-ounce prime ribeye, crab risotto and Oreo velvet cheesecake, plus a $45 brunch Feb. 15 including shrimp cocktail and lobster mac and cheese. 601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, 847-777-6878, saranellos.com/events/valentines-day-specials

Sushi-san

The sashimi bouquet from Sushi-san. (Lindsay Eberly x Eberly Film Lab)

Skip the flowers and head to River North or Lincoln Park for akami tuna roses ($24) or a sashimi bouquet ($36) offered in addition to the regular menu. 63 W. Grand Ave., 312-828-0575 and 1950 N. Halsted St., 773-389-7101 sushisanrestaurant.com

Wildfire

The restaurant highlights its favorites in a special meal for two ($142 per couple), including shrimp cocktail, chopped salad, petit filet mignon and red velvet cake. Feb. 12-15. Multiple locations, wildfirerestaurant.com/chicago

Samantha Nelson is a freelance writer.

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/valentines-day-2026-restaurant-and-bar-specials-for-a-romantic-date-night-or-galentines-day-celebration/ 

Langley Plants The Flag: CIA Takes Point In Post-Maduro Venezuela

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 05:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/langley-plants-flag-cia-takes-point-post-maduro-venezuela 

Por JON GAMBRELL

DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Funcionarios iraníes se comunicaron el miércoles con otros países de Oriente Medio debido a la amenaza de un posible ataque militar de Estados Unidos en el país, un mes después del inicio de unas protestas en Irán que pronto se extendieron a nivel nacional y provocaron una represión sangrienta.

Dos naciones, Arabia Saudí y Emiratos Árabes Unidos, han señalado que no permitirán que su espacio aéreo sea utilizado para ningún ataque. Sin embargo, Estados Unidos ha movido el USS Abraham Lincoln y varios destructores de misiles guiados a la región, que pueden utilizarse para lanzar ataques desde el mar.

No está claro qué decidirá el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, sobre el uso de la fuerza, aunque estableció dos líneas rojas: el asesinato de manifestantes pacíficos y la posible ejecución masiva de detenidos. La violenta represión de las autoridades iraníes contra las manifestaciones dejó al menos 6.221 muertos y se teme que la cifra real sea mucho mayor, dijeron activistas el miércoles.

Los medios estatales de Irán, que ahora sólo se refieren a los manifestantes como “terroristas”, siguen siendo la única fuente de noticias para muchos, ya que Teherán cortó el acceso a Internet global hace unas tres semanas. Pero la indignación y la angustia ha crecido entre los iraníes en las semanas desde entonces, en las que han visto imágenes de manifestantes baleados y muertos y se preocupan por lo que pueda suceder a continuación mientras la economía del país se hunde aún más.

“Siento que mi generación no logró dar una mejor lección a los más jóvenes”, dijo Mohammad Heidari, un profesor de secundaria de 59 años en Teherán. “El resultado de décadas de enseñanza de mis colegas y mías llevó a la muerte de miles, y tal vez más heridos y prisioneros”.

Diplomacia rápida entre Irán y naciones árabes

El Ministerio egipcio de Exteriores dijo que su principal diplomático, Badr Abdelatty, habló por separado con el ministro iraní de Exteriores, Abbas Araghchi, y el enviado de Estados Unidos para el Oriente Medio, Steve Witkoff, para “trabajar hacia conseguir calma, con el fin de evitar que la región caiga en nuevos ciclos de inestabilidad”.

El comunicado no ofreció detalles, aunque los medios estatales iraníes citaron a Araghchi diciendo que habían estado en contacto con mediadores de terceros. Witkoff, un promotor inmobiliario multimillonario y amigo de Trump, había negociado anteriormente sobre el programa nuclear de Irán. No hubo un comentario inmediato sobre la llamada por parte de la Casa Blanca.

Mientras tanto, el príncipe heredero de Arabia Saudí, Mohammed bin Salman, habló por teléfono con el presidente iraní, Masoud Pezeshkian, y dijo que el reino “no permitirá que su espacio aéreo o territorio sea utilizado para ninguna acción militar contra Irán o para cualquier ataque de cualquier parte, independientemente de su origen”. Eso sigue a una promesa similar de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Tanto Arabia Saudí como los Emiratos Árabes Unidos albergan activos aéreos y tropas estadounidenses.

Ambos también han enfrentado ataques en la última década. Un asalto en 2019, que Occidente cree que fue llevado a cabo por Irán, redujo brevemente a la mitad la producción de petróleo saudí. Emiratos Árabes Unidos enfrentaron varios ataques reclamados por los rebeldes hutíes de Yemen en 2022.

Sin embargo, la base más grande de Estados Unidos en la región es la amplia Base Aérea de Al Udeid en Qatar, que sirve como la sede operativa avanzada del Comando Central del ejército estadounidense. Tanto Araghchi como Ali Larijani, un alto funcionario de seguridad iraní, supuestamente tuvieron llamadas con el primer ministro de Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar reconoció la llamada de Araghchi, pero ofreció pocos detalles sobre lo que se discutió.

Irán atacó Al Udeid en junio en respuesta a que Trump enviara aviones de guerra estadounidenses para bombardear instalaciones de enriquecimiento nuclear iraníes después de que Israel emprendiera una guerra de 12 días contra la República Islámica.

“Nuestra posición es exactamente esta: aplicar la diplomacia a través de amenazas militares no puede ser efectivo ni constructivo”, dijo Araghchi a los periodistas el miércoles fuera de una reunión del gabinete. “Si quieren que las negociaciones tomen forma, deben abandonar las amenazas, las demandas excesivas y el planteamiento de cuestiones ilógicas. Las negociaciones tienen sus propios principios: deben llevarse a cabo en igualdad de condiciones, basadas en el respeto mutuo y para el beneficio mutuo”.

Activistas ofrecen nuevo recuento de muertes

Aunque no ha habido protestas en varias semanas después de la represión, la información que llega lentamente desde Irán a través de antenas satelitales de Starlink está alcanzando a los activistas fuera del país, quienes han tratado de contabilizar la matanza.

La Agencia de Noticias de Activistas de Derechos Humanos con sede en Estados Unidos, que ha sido precisa en múltiples rondas de disturbios en Irán, dijo el miércoles que al menos 6.221 muertos que contaron incluían al menos 5.858 manifestantes, 214 fuerzas afiliadas al gobierno, 100 niños y 49 civiles que no estaban manifestándose. Más de 42.300 han sido arrestados, agregó.

El grupo verifica cada muerte y arresto con una red de activistas sobre el terreno en Irán. The Associated Press no ha podido evaluar de manera independiente el número de muertos dado que las autoridades cortaron el internet y restringieron las llamadas hacia la República Islámica.

El gobierno de Irán ha dado un número de muertos mucho menor de 3.117, diciendo que 2.427 eran civiles y fuerzas de seguridad, y describió al resto como “terroristas”. En el pasado, la teocracia iraní ha subestimado o no ha informado sobre las muertes por disturbios.

Ese número de muertos supera al de cualquier otra ronda de protestas o disturbios en Irán en décadas, y recuerda el caos que rodeó a la Revolución Islámica de 1979.

Las protestas comenzaron el 28 de diciembre, provocadas por la caída de la moneda iraní, el rial, y rápidamente se extendieron por todo el país. Fueron enfrentadas con una represión violenta, cuya escala sólo empieza a aclararse ahora ya que el país ha enfrentado más de dos semanas de apagón de internet, el más completo en su historia.

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La periodista de Associated Press Fay Abuelgasim en El Cairo contribuyó a este despacho.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/preocupacin-y-miedo-en-oriente-medio-por-posible-ataque-de-eeuu-a-irn-un-mes-despus-de-protestas/